Development and study of ruthenium catalysts for olefin metathesis displaying cis-dichloro configuration with monodentate ligans

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New cis-dichloro ruthenium-based pre-catalysts for olefin metathesis reaction were synthesised. This work was inspired by the report of complex cis-Caz-1 in 2010, a 2nd generation-type pre-catalyst displaying latent character and acknowledged as state-of-the-art for challenging transformation in olefin metathesis. The stability and the reactivity of such species led us to investigate the possibility to perform the catalysis in air with reagent-grade solvents, so that olefin metathesis reaction can be easily carried out in synthetic laboratories avoiding restricting inert conditions (Chapter 2). Next, further modifications of the original scaffold were attempted. Pre-catalyst cis-Caz-1 was reacted with different silver salts leading to new cis-complexes. The first examples of Ru-F species for olefin metathesis reaction are reported in Chapter 3. The phosphite ligand plays a very important role in the cis-Caz-1 scaffold and allowed the formation of the mono and the difluoro complexes selectively. Other silver salts were then employed such as trifluoroacetate, acetate, benzoate and pivalate. In all the studies involving silver salts, the anionic exchange reactions occurring among cis-Ruspecies in solution was observed. Electronic properties rather than sterics were responsible for the selective formation of the mixed complex trifluoroacetate/acetate 55 (Chapter 4). The results obtained with 2nd generation systems prompted us to evaluate triisopropyl phosphite as ligand in 1st generation-type complexes. Similar synergistic effects to complex cis-Caz-1 were observed. The mixed PCy3/P(OiPr)3 complex 56 displayed cis-geometry, high thermal stability and latent character compared to the bis-phosphine analogue Ind-I (Chapter 5). Last, a catalytic and structural study of commercially available pre-catalysts M51TM and M52TM in collaboration with Umicore was carried out together with the Grela group (Chapter 6). These
Hoveyda-Grubbs type pre-catalysts showed an interesting activity in ring closing metathesis, allowing the isolation of di- and tri- substituted ring-products at room temperature, as well as in cross metathesis, where some examples of biologically active compounds were obtained.